Necktie with suspended ornament



Dec. 28, 1965 L. L. LESS NECKTIE WITH SUSPENDED ORNAMENT Original Filed Oct. 4, 1962 FIG.|.

FIG.6.

INVENTOR Lo u l s L. Le s s ATTORNEYS FIG.9.

United States Patent 3,225,359 NECKTIE WITH SUSPENDED ORNAMENT Louis L. Less, Clinton, Iowa, assignor to One-in-I-Iand Tie Company, Clinton, Iowa, a partnership of Iowa Original application Oct. 4, 1362, Ser. No. 223,378, now Patent No. 3,167,784, dated Feb. 2, 1965. Divided and this application May 20, 1964, Ser. No. 379,774 3 Claims. (Cl. 2-150) ly to neckties having ornaments depending from them. This application 15 a division of my copending tion Serial No. 228,378, filed October 4, 1962, now Patent 3,167,784, issued February 2, 1965.

An object of this invention is to provide articles of neckwear which have a new and unusual appearance.

A further object of the invention is to provide such articles of neckwear which are convertible, and may be worn in a number of different ways, each presenting a different appearance. A still further object is to provide an easy method of making the neckwear of the invention.

The invention may be understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings, which form a part of the specification, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of the torso of a person wearing an article of neckwear constructed in accordance with one embodiment of this invention, illustrating the general appearance of the article of neckwear when worn;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of an article of neckwear constructed in accordance with one embodiment of this invention, and comprising a short, pretied necktie with a detachable ornament;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevation of a portion of the neckwear shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a rear elevational view of a portion of another embodiment of the neckwear of this invention;

FIG. 5 is a section taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an elevational view of a triangular stiffener adapted for use in the point of the necktie shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is an elevational view of a rectangular stiffener adapted for use with the necktie of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a rear elevational view of the portion of the necktie shown in FIG. 4, with an ornament attached; and FIG. 9 is a section taken along line 99 of FIG. 8.

FIG. 1 illustrates the overall appearance of a typical article of neckwear constructed in accordance with my aforementioned Patent 3,167,784 and as illustrated here in FIGS. 2 and 3. The neckwear comprises two parts: A shorty tie portion 20 and an ornament 21 depending from its end. The novel and unusual appearance of the neckwear of this embodiment is due both to the shortness of the tie and to the ornament depending from the end of it. While conventional ties have varying lengths, they customarily extend from the neck of the wearer down to a point close to the top of his pants (or the top of his belt). There are various shorty type ties on the market, but these are invariably of the string type; that is, they are customarily constructed of a very thin or string-like material, and do not use a conventional knot. They are clearly distinguishable and not at all related to, the conventional four-in-hand tie. The tie portion of the neckwear of this and many of the other embodiments of this invention, on the contrary, provides a knot and depending tie portion which is identical in appearance to the conventional four-in-hand tie in every respect save for its length. The unique appearance is obtained by making the length of the tie, from the top of the knot 5 normal adult wearer.

' ice (which is normally the same as the top of a collar of the wearer) to the bottom of the depending portion, substantially less than half the distance from the top of the collar to the top of the pants (or top of the belt) of a The length may typically be about five or six inches.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, the neckwear embodiment shown therein may be seen to comprise a tie having a knot 22'and a depending portion comprising a front portion 23 and a tail 24. The tie may conveniently be of the ready-tied type shown in FIG. 2, formed upon a knot forming device 25, although it may be of the conventional self-tied type as well. However, the relatively accurate positioning of the ends of front portion 23 and tail 24 with respect to each other required for attachment of ornament 21 make the use of the ready-tied type more convenient.

Ornament 21 comprises a medallion 26 and a tieattaching loop 27, attached to it. Medallion 26 may be of any desired ornamental configuration, as it comprises that portion of ornament 21 designed to be displayed.

Since the particular configuration of knot forming device or of knot 22 forms no part of this invention insofar as it relates to neckwear structures, the knot and 25 the knot forming device have been omitted from FIG. 3

30 into converging sides and most of the other figures. As may be best seen in FIG. 3, front portion 23 is of conventional width, having two generally parallel sides 28. Toward the bottom end of front portion 23, generally parallel sides 28 merge 29, FIG. 3, which meet in a point. Similarly, tail 24 has generally parallel sides 32 ending in merging sides 33 which meet in a point. Tail 24 may be slightly narrower than front portion 23, as shown in FIG. 3, or it may be of substantially the same width, but

35 in either case it is adapted to completely underlie front portion 23 in the same manner as the tail of a conventional four-in-hand tie. Ornament 21 may be attached to the end of the tie, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, by bringing the pointed end of front portion 23 upward and to the rear, passing it through loop 27, and attaching it to the bottom of tail 24. The ends of front portion 23 and tail 24 are attached in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, by a snap 34. The snap 34 comprises two halves,

with one half being attached to the rear of front portion 5 23 adjacent to the pointed end thereof and the other similarly attached to the rear of tail 24 adjacent to its pointed end.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the width of loop 27 is less than the width of front portion 23 of the tie,

and therefore the inside of loop 27 is engaged by converga short necktie having a ing sides 29 and supported thereby, resulting in the tieengaging loop 27 being pulled up somewhat behind front portion 23 (as viewed from the front in FIG. 2) so that only a small portion of it is in view, presenting a nea appearance. Alternatively, loop 27 could be suflicientl wide so that it would be supported, instead of by con verging sides 29, by the fold formed at the bottom 0 front portion 23 by the turnedup end.

Turning now to FIG. 4, there is shown a portion front portion 87 and a tail 8 Tail 88, which normally underlies front portion 87, shown bent out of the way in FIGS. 4 and 8, to reve the details of the rear of front portion 87. The fro portion is of conventional flattened tubular form, wi

the flattened tube being made of a double thickness 7 wardly converging edges 92.

angular-shaped stiffener 93 (FIG. 6) is firmly imbedc of the tie between the two thicknesses (FIG. 5). A rectangular stiffener 96 (FIG. 7), which is also of flexible, resilient material is positioned within the opening of the flattened tubular body of front portion 87 and fastened by a staple 97 or the like to the rearward thickness of cloth 95 in the forward facing portion of the tubular body of front portion 87. As may be seen from FIG. 4, rectangular stiffener 96 is positioned just above triangular stiflener 93. Looking at the rear of the front portion 87, most of rectangular stiffener 96 is hidden from view, but upwardly converging adges 92 expose a portion of the bottom center of stiffener 96, making an ideal place for the display of advertising indicia or the like. It should be noted that tail 88 is not necessary to this embodiment; the tie portion may consist solely of a front portion. If the tail portion is present, its length is such that it does not extend below the level at which converging sides 93 meet parallel sides 89.

As may be seen in FIGS. 8 and 9, an ornament is attached to the bottom of the tie of FIG. 18' by passing the bottom triangular end of front portion 87 through loop 100 attached to the rear of medallion 101. Resilient stiffener 93 is then flexed and the triangular end is slid up between rectangular stiffener 96 and the material to which it is attached, providing a fold 102 at the bottom of the tie, which supports the ornament. The relatively stiff triangular end is thus held between two surfaces, the tie material and rectangular stiffener 96, in such a manner that the triangular stiffener 93 must be flexed in order to remove the end of the tie. Stiffener 93 must be resilient enough to permit it to be easily flexed for insertion between the two contiguous surfaces which will hold it, yet must be sufficiently stiff so that the weight of the ornament will not cause it to flex and result in the pointed end of the tie being pulled out from its tucked-in position. The pointed end of the tie may be stiffened by means other than an insert of sheet material, and the surfaces between which it is tucked need not be formed by fastening a sheet of stiff material to the tie, as in this embodiment, but may comprise any two closely spaced or contiguous surfaces or edges located above the stiffened portion and spaced from it by a distance less than the vertical extent of the stiffened portion of the tie. If the surfaces or edges between which the stiffened portion is tucked are spaced above the top of the stiffened portion a distance greater than the vertical extent of the stiffened portion, then it would be possible to pull out the tuckedin tie end without having to flex the stiffened portion. The tie may also be worn without the attached ornament, either as a pointed end type tie as shown in FIG. 4, or by tucking up the end to give a square ended style.

What is claimed is:

1. In an article of neckwear, the combination of a necktie comprising a body portion of necktie material which depends from the wearers collar when the necktie is worn,

said body portion having a lower end including a in the pointed end of cloth 94 and 95 tip portion which is substantially stiffer than the rest of said body portion; retaining means carried by said body portion at the back thereof in a location immediately above said tip portion, said retaining means defining two mutually adjacent tip-portion-retaining surfaces, said tip portion being folded rearwardly and upwardly and engaged between said retaining surfaces; an ornament; and attaching means secured to said ornament and extending from said ornament into engagement in the fold between said tip portion and the adjacent material of said body portion. 2. An article of neckwear according to claim 1, wherein said retaining means includes a flat, relatively stiff member having top and bottom edge portions,

said flat, relatively stiff member being secured at its top edge to the back of said body portion, said mutually adjacent tip-portion-retaining surfaces being defined respectively by said fiat, relatively stiff member and said body portion. 3. An article of neckwear comprising, in combination a pretied necktie including a knot structure and a tie .body which depends from said knot structure when the necktie is worn with said knot structure at the wearers collar,

said tie body having a lower end including a tip portion which is substantially stiffer than the rest of said tie body; retaining means including a flat, relatively stitf member secured to the back of said tie body at a point spaced from said tip portion,

said flat, relatively stiff member and said tie body defining two mutually adjacent tip-portionretaining surfaces, said tip portion being wardly and engaged jacent surfaces; an ornament; and suspending means secured to said ornament and extending therefrom into engagement in the fold between said tip portion and the adjacent material of said tie body, said tie body being of such length that, when said knot structure is disposed at the collar of an average wearer, said ornament is suspended in a location spaced substantially above the wearers belt line.

folded rearwardly and upbetween said mutually zil- References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,860,346 11/1958 Siebler et al.

FOREIGN PATENTS 894,954 4/1962 Great Britain.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN AN ARTICLE OF NECKWEAR, THE COMBINATIN OF A NECKTIE COMPRISING A BODY PORTION OF NECKTIE MATERIAL WHICH DEPENDS FROM THE WEARER''S COLLAR WHEN THE NECKTIE IS WORN, SAID BODY PORTION HAVING A LOWER END INCLUDING A TIP PORTION WHICH IS SUBSTANTILLY STIFFER THAN THE REST OF SAID BODY PORTION; RETAINING MEANS CARRIED BY SAID BODY PORTION AT THE BACK THEREOF IN A LOCATION IMMEDIATELY ABOVE SAID TIP PORTION, SAID RETAINING MEANS DEFINING TWO MUTUALLY ADJACENT TIP-PORTION-RETAINING SURFACES, SAID TIP PORTION BEING FOLDED REARWARDLY AND UPWARDLY AND ENGAGED BETWEEN SAID RETAINING SURFACES; AN ORNAMENT; AND ATTACHING MEANS SECURED TO SAID ORNAMENT AND EXTENDING FROM SAID ORNAMENT INTO ENGAGEMENT TO THE FOLD BETWEEN SAID TIP PORTION AND THE ADJACENT MATERIAL OF SAID BODY PORTION. 